Man, I just saw the coolest thing I've ever seen. Just made a run to the local corner gas station to fill up, grab some java and tobacco. (I like supporting the local small businesses when I can as opposed to the big chains) As usual I dodged about 7 deer, 2 possums and a SOLID BLACK FOX. No it wasn't a dog, coyote or chupacabra.

This area has fields on both sides, a great place where foxes hang out. It started across the road, went to stop and turned, changed its mind and darted across the road 15 ft in front of me. I got a very good look at it.

I had to Google the term, Melanism. Opposite of albinoism.

I've only seen this trait in squirrels when stationed at Ft. Polk when I lived a couple of miles from Anacocoa Creek.

Very weird! How much would that fur bring Forestboy?

A true melanistic fox would bring better money sold whole on the taxidermy market. When they purchase furs for garments, they want enough furs that are similar in color to make an entire garment. Albino, cinnamon and melanistic color phases are worth more for the uniqueness.

There are ranch fox(Silver) that are nearly all black that may have a white tipped tail. Ranchers make all kinds of mutated color phases.

Coming back at dusk last week from doing some shooting in the woods; my 'range' is an approx 3-mi RT down an access road and through a couple-a fairly dense stands of trees and it makes a reasonable run even for bad knees.

As I got near the last patch of cover, I could hear an ungodly cacophony of angry crows, several score at least, throughout the tree-tops. Having come across this last year, I was pretty sure what I would find.
Sure enough, my intrusion as I passed through made the mob shift its distribution enough that after a couple of minutes, an enormous snowy owl broke from its hide and silently cleared the area on the most direct bearing possible.

Before last year, I had never seen a snowy; their range seems to be Canada and north, but this guy was in almost an identical place and within a week or so of the same time two years in a row, so I'm assuming he migrates, or apparently with ^ density, their range may temporarily expand (something called irruption, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irruptive_growth)?
Anyway, passing through and got pinned down.

I didn't know that crows hate owls. Enough that crow hunters can use an owl decoy to lure the otherwise-savvy birds back into range after the first is killed, depending on territorialism to overcome their better judgment.
Pretty cool to see the ginormous owl, and almost as cool to witness the rucks he caused on his way through.

Coming back at dusk last week from doing some shooting in the woods; my 'range' is an approx 3-mi RT down an access road and through a couple-a fairly dense stands of trees and it makes a reasonable run even for bad knees.

As I got near the last patch of cover, I could hear an ungodly cacophony of angry crows, several score at least, throughout the tree-tops. Having come across this last year, I was pretty sure what I would find.
Sure enough, my intrusion as I passed through made the mob shift its distribution enough that after a couple of minutes, an enormous snowy owl broke from its hide and silently cleared the area on the most direct bearing possible.

Before last year, I had never seen a snowy; their range seems to be Canada and north, but this guy was in almost an identical place and within a week or so of the same time two years in a row, so I'm assuming he migrates, or apparently with ^ density, their range may temporarily expand (something called irruption, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irruptive_growth)?
Anyway, passing through and got pinned down.

I didn't know that crows hate owls. Enough that crow hunters can use an owl decoy to lure the otherwise-savvy birds back into range after the first is killed, depending on territorialism to overcome their better judgment.
Pretty cool to see the ginormous owl, and almost as cool to witness the rucks he caused on his way through.

DaveP

I splatter every one I see.

__________________
I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them.

We just had our annual crow shoot. I did 13 stands in 6 hours, killed 21, two others glided across major waterways that I couldn't wade to get them. Four of us shot 67, the other three guys posted up on unpicked cornfields and did pretty well. They wise up pretty quickly.

I hate crows, every time I'm out on the farm, the 22-250 comes out and crows die. Longest to date is 436yds, LRF's are great things. S/F....Ken M

__________________"If you remember nothing else about what I’m about to consider here, remember this: the one and only reason politicians, bureaucrats, and policemen want to take your weapons away from you is so that they can do things to you that they couldn’t do if you still had your weapons."— L. Neil Smith

“The consolidation of the states into one vast empire, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of ruin which has overwhelmed all that preceded it.”
- Robert E. Lee

Wife caught this egg thief the other day while I was working out of town. Her pregnant self managed to get him out of the barn yard without spraying before ending his chances of future egg thievery. Her Dad raised her right!

I haven't been outside much, travel and work, but I was outside yesterday afternoon and I have a bunch of new residents. First was a huge barn owl that was flying during the day light. Huge flocks of crows, gonna have to make some sport of that. Three really large and noisy doves. I think that they may be getting ready to lay, but the chatter is worse than grandmas coffee clutch. I have dispatched a few new possums. Save the "they eat ticks" speech. They carry virus hazardous to equine, get in my horse barn and shit on my hay. They sleep with the fish. The last of the snow geese are gone. I have close to a million fly over the farm every year. Dozens of brand new decoys, never even taken out of the box.... Haven't hunted birds since my Chocolate Lab died. I am going to hunt some doves this year with my shiny new Citori 725 in 28 ga.

__________________
No one will take better care of us, than us: Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Wife caught this egg thief the other day while I was working out of town. Her pregnant self managed to get him out of the barn yard without spraying before ending his chances of future egg thievery. Her Dad raised her right!

Those scent pods are worth $30/ounce. With the nice stripes on that one it was a $15-20 pelt. $50-60/skunk is worth handling them.

The chest shot works about 80-90% of the time. Acetone(Poisoning) is not legal in every state, check your local laws.

Cool story, a few years ago I was coming out of the woods and crossing a fence right at dark (bow season). Small black skunk, marked weird, started bouncing up and down on its front feet...then promptly did a handstand. Realized then it was a Spotted Skunk...only one, and only time I've ever seen one in the wild--anyone else?